AACM organized “Airport Safety Management System Seminar”

With the globalization of the aviation industry and the rapid growth in air transportation, the challenges for maintaining aviation safety have become greater. Since the handover of Macao to China, the gaming industry has been liberalized; the tourist figures continue to increase year to year; the aviation industry has started to blossom and the passenger throughput of the Macau International Airport reports satisfactory growth year on year. Facing the increased demand in air transportation, in addition to enhancing the economic growth of the industry, the Civil Aviation Authority of Macao SAR (AACM) reinforces its regulatory role to guarantee aviation safety. AACM organized the “Airport Safety Management System Seminar” in the morning of 28 June with the aim of introducing the Safety Management Systems (SMS) of the Hong Kong and Macao airports to the Macao aviation operators. Speakers of the seminar were experienced industry people in SMS from the two areas. The number of participants was about 40. The speakers of the seminar were the Senior Operations Officer of the Civil Aviation Department of Hong Kong SAR, Mr. Edmund Wong, the Senior Manager, Airport Safety of the Airport Authority Hong Kong, Mr. H. W. Lau and the Safety Manager of Administration of Airports, Macau, Mr. Jose Marcal. The three speakers respectively introduced the SMS of the Hong Kong International Airport and the Macao International Airport, including the system components, policy, hazard control, safety objectives, safety responsibilities, training, contingencies and so on. They all agreed that the air transportation industry’s future viability depend on its ability to sustain the public’s confidence in traveling and the management of safety is therefore a prerequisite for a sustainable aviation business. The notion of safety management is introduced by the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO), which contains two concepts: a safety programme and a SMS. The safety programme is a set of regulations and activities aimed at improving safety and to be implemented by the regulator. The SMS is an approach to managing safety, including the necessary organizational structures, accountabilities, policies and procedures, to be implemented by airlines, maintenance organizations, air traffic services providers and aerodrome operators. In accordance with the Annex 14 of the Convention on International Civil Aviation (Chicago Convention), since November 2005, a certified aerodrome shall have in operation a SMS. The Macau International Airport implemented its SMS in the end of 2005. In addition, AACM is now in the process of drafting safety regulations. Due to the corporatization and the privatization of airports and airlines in the global market, the role played by the regulator has become more significant. For this, ICAO urged all governments, airport entities, airlines and service providers to comply strictly with the standards of their SMS while fulfilling commercial interests. The seminar was held in the conference room of AACM’s office. Participants included representatives from Fire Services, Macau International Airport Company Ltd., Administration of Airports, Ltd., Menzies Macau Airport Services Ltd., Macau Catering Services Ltd., Nam Kwong Petroleum and Chemicals Company Ltd., Macau Business Aviation Centre, Air Macau Company Ltd. and East Asia Airlines Ltd.